973.7L63 

B6W38£ 


Weber,    J.  R. 
Lawyer  Li  ncol  n 


LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of 1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 

HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


3b&!iw3b«itol 


LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 

HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


http://www.archive.org/details/lawyerlincolnOOwebe 


$(oW  381 


Author 
J.  R.  WEBER 

who  as  a  boy 

gained  inspiration  by  sitting  on  the 
knee  of  Lawyer  Lincoln 


Published  by 

BAWDEN  BROS.,  Inc. 

Davenport,  Iowa 


Copyright,  1928 


%ntvobutlittn 


LAWYER  LINCOLN 

SO  MUCH  has  been  written  and  spoken 
in  eulogy — and  misrepresentation — of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  of  late  years,  it  would 
seem  that  the  saturation  point  of  oratory 
and  tradition  had  at  last  been  reached. 

It  is  regrettable  that  so  many  magazine 
writers  appear  to  derive  satisfaction,  and  no 
doubt  pecuniary  profit,  by  an  unwarranted 
invasion  of  the  home-life  of  Lincoln — from 
the  cradle  to  the  grave.  And  infinitely  more 
to  be  regretted  is  the  fact  that  their  produc- 
tions find  favor  with  so  many  muck-rakers 
and  scandal-mongers  of  the  present  day. 

The  legal  career  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
— which  was  by  no  means  one  of  medi- 
ocrity— has  never  been  accorded  the 
attention  to  which  his  profound  research 
along  that  line  entitled  it.  Writers  of 
fictitious  history  have  no  doubt  found  it 
far  too  prosaic  to  measure  up  to  their 
twentieth  century  ideas  of  what  a  real 
up-to-date  hero  should  be. 

This  story  is  founded  on  data  obtained 
from  the  archives  of  the  State  Historical 
Society  of  Illinois,  and  confirmed  by  court 
records,  which  should  be  a  sufficient 
guarantee  of  its  authenticity. 


Lawyer  Lincoln 

THAT  portion  of  Central  Illionis 
through  which  the  Sangamon  river 
flows,  is  little  changed  from  what  it 
was  a  hundred  years  ago.  There  were 
no  cities  of  great  importance  along  its 
banks  at  that  time,  and  there  are  none 
today.  Wilderness  was  king  a  century 
ago,  and  the  same  monarch  holds  sway 
at  the  present  time. 

Great  sycamore  trees  flourish  along 
the  banks,  reaching  out  their  spectral 
branches  to  their  fellows  across  the 
narrow  stream,  and  a  veritable  tumult 
of  unmolested  vines  and  undergrowth 
flourish  close  to  the  water's  edge.  Even 
and  anon  the  oppressive  stillness  is 
broken  by  the  chatter  of  the  birds  in 
the  bushes  and  the  sighing  of  the 
winds  in  the  tops  of  the  tall  trees. 

In  summer-time  the  man  of  pisca- 
torial proclivities,  with  rod  and  line, 
is  lured  into  this  insect-haunted  local- 
ity, and  in  the  winter-time  the  hunts- 
man with  dog  and  gun,  fare  forth  to 
break  the  silence  of  the  dismal  forest. 

Down  this  river  almost  a  hundred 
years  ago,  there  floated  a  rudely  con- 
structed   flat-boat,    on    an    uncertain 


voyage  to  the  city  of  New  Orleans. 
This  was  a  hazardous  undertaking,  and 
one  that  seldom  if  ever  before  had 
been  attempted.  The  voyage  was  pro- 
jected by  Denton  Offutt,  a  primitive 
plunger  and  capitalist  of  that  time. 
The  crew  consisted  of  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, then  about  twenty-two  years  of 
age;  his  uncle,  John  Hanks,  and  his 
half-brother,  John  D.  Johnson.  Lin- 
coln was  officiating  in  the  capacity  of 
cook,  for  which  service  he  was  prom- 
ised the  magnificent  salary  of  fifty 
cents  per  day  for  the  duration  of  the 
trip. 

The  voyage  was  fairly  begun  when 
an  obstacle  was  encountered  at  a  small 
village  on  the  bank  of  the  Sangamon, 
called  New  Salem.  Here  the  boat  was 
delayed  for  an  indefinite  period  on 
account  of  a  newly  constructed  dam 
across  the  river. 

Lincoln  Meets  Ann  Rutledge 

DURING  this  time  Lincoln  seems  to 
have  made  numerous  acquaint- 
ances and  acquired  many  friends  who 
figured  conspicuously  in  his  after  life.  - 
Here  he  became  acquainted  with  the 
village    belle — Ann    Rutledge,    which 


was  the  beginning  of  a  most  pathetic 
romance,  which  was  probably  his  first 
real  love  affair,  of  which  much  has 
been  written,  as  love  affairs  frequently 
are.  This  brief  delay  at  New  Salem 
proved  to  be  a  most  portentous  period 
in  the  life  of  Lincoln. 

Finally  there  was  a  rise  in  the 
waters  of  the  Sangamon,  so  that  the 
boat  could  float  safely  over  the  crest 
of  the  dam,  and  pursue  its  course  down 
the  river  on  its  voyage  to  New 
Orleans. 

It  is  not  essential  to  the  thread  of 
this  narrative  toi  follow  it  as  it  nosed 
its  way  among  the  numerous  snags  of 
the  Sangamon  and  Illinois  rivers,  and 
over  the  treacherous  sand  bars  of  the 
Mississippi.  The  voyage  was  finally 
completed  after  weeks  of  danger  and 
privation. 

Lincoln  and  his  companions  re- 
remained  at  New  Orleans  for  an  in- 
definite period — though  a  brief  one. 
During  this  time  Lincoln  visited  the 
slave  marts  of  the  southern  metro- 
polis where  he  found  conditions  so  ab- 
horent,  it  is  said  he  registered  a  solemn 
vow  to  devote  his  entire  life,  if  neces- 


sary,  to  strike  a  blow  that  would  place 
the  damnable  institution  of  slavery  in 
a  condition  of  ultimate  extinction. 
Whether  he  really  made  this  vow,  or 
whether  it  is  merely  tradition,  we  are 
unable  to  state,  but  a  third  of  a  cen- 
tury later,  the  opportunity  came  to 
him,  as  President  of  the  United  States, 
to  strike  a  blow  that  set  the  bondman 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  thence 
forth  and  forever  free. 

Returns  to  New  Salem 

WE  next  hear  of  Lincoln  back  at 
New  Salem.  Whether  it  was  a 
lingering  memory  of  Ann  Rutledge 
that  lured  him  to  this  unpromising 
locality,  or  whether  it  was  to  a  secu- 
tive  offer  of  a  lucrative  position,  as 
head  clerk  in  the  general  store  of  Den- 
ton Offutt,  history  leaves  us  in  doubt. 
He  was  functioning  at  Offutt's  store 
when  he  first  became  acquainted  with 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  who  in  after 
years,  became  his  most  aggressive 
political  antagonist.  Douglas,  referring 
to  this  meeting  some  years  later  made 
the  statement  in  public,  that  the  first 
time  he  ever  saw  Lincoln,  he  was  be- 
hind the  counter  selling  whiskey.   Lin- 


coin  promptly  plead  guilty  additing 
this  trite  rejoiner:  "I  was  the  seller, 
the  Judge  was  the  buyer/' 

Lincoln  referring  to  his  early  ac- 
quaintance with  Douglas,  said,  "The 
first  time  I  met  Douglas,  I  thought  he 
was  the  least  man  I  ever  saw."  Lin- 
coln was  twelve  inches  taller  than 
Douglas,  but  weighed  little  if  any 
more.  In  many  of  Lincoln's  contentions 
with  Douglas  on  the  stump,  it  is  a 
noticeable  fact  that  Douglas  kept  him 
on  the  defensive,  by  flagrant  misrepre- 
sentations. Lincoln  seems  to  have  had 
little  difficulty  in  extricating  himself 
from  these  oratorical  pitfalls,  with 
advantage  to  himself  and  not  un- 
frequently,  to  the  confusion  of  his 
adversary.  Lincoln  and  Douglas  were 
the  master-logicians  and  statesmen 
preeminent  of  their  day  and  genera- 
tion. Douglas  was  an  unfair  politician 
but  notwithstanding  their  life-long 
political  antagonisms,  they  were  good 
friends,  contrary  to  the  general  belief. 

Lincoln's  popularity  at  New  Salem, 
and  in  the  surrounding  locality  seems 
to  have  been  based  more  on  his 
strength  of  braun  than  of  brain 


Not  to  imply  that  he  was  lacking  in 
mental  capacity,  by  no  means.  In 
that  respect  he  was  more  likely  the 
equal,  if  not  the  peer  of  any  of  his 
newly-found  friends. 

Lincoln  was  a  veritable  Hercules  as 
to  strength.  Many  unbelievable  stories 
have  been  related  of  muscular  achieve- 
ments, for  which  I  am  not  in  a  posi- 
tion to  vouch.  It  is  said,  that  he  could 
hold  a  half  barrel  of  whiskey  at  arm's 
length,  and  drink  from  the  bung-hole. 
It  is  possible  that  there  are  men  now 
"listening  in"  who  could  drink  from 
the  bung-hole  of  a  barrel  of  whiskey, 
if  the  opportunity  were  offered.  It 
is  certain  however,  that  Lincoln  never 
drank  from  a  barrel  of  whiskey,  for  it 
is  a  well-authenticated  fact,  that  he 
drank  very  little,  if  any  at  all.  Nor 
was  he  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco 
in  any  of  its  various  forms. 

Lincoln  was  undoubtedly  a  man  of 
great  physical  power  and  a  most  skill- 
ful wrestler,  and  it  was  not  long  until 
he  had  achieved  widespread  notoriety 
on  this  account. 

In  his  zeal  and  admiration  for  his 
employer,  Denton  Offutt,  who  was  a 


sporting  man  of  that  primitive  period, 
declared  Lincoln  to  be  the  "best  man" 
in  Sangamon  County.  He  boasted  in 
public  that  Lincoln  could  outrun,  out- 
jump,  or  throw  down  any  man  in  that 
locality,  and  intimated  that  he  had  the 
money  to  back  up  his  assertion.  The 
sequel  proves  that  his  boast  was  not 
long  to  go  unchallenged. 

Lincoln's  Friendship  With 
Jack  Armstrong 

A  FEW  miles  to  the  south-west  of 
New  Salem  there  was  a  strip  of 
timber,  known  as  Clarey's  Grove.  A 
coterie  of  young  men  who  lived  in  that 
locality,  under  the  leadership  of  one, 
Jack  Armstrong,  was  a  veritable  terror 
to  the  region  round-about.  They  formed 
a  self-constituted  organization  of  so- 
called  "regulators",  who  assumed  to 
enforce  their  decrees,  whether  they 
were  right  or  wrong.  The  Clarey's 
Grove  Gang — as  it  was  commonly 
called — was  organized  on  the  theory  of 
"each  for  all  and  all  for  each".  The 
gang  was  ready  to  fight  for  a  princi- 
ple, or  any  old  thing,  individually  or 
collectively,  that  happened  to  strike 
their  fancy.    It  was  said  that  some  of 


the  members  were  religiously  inclined, 
and  could  pray  frevently  at  a  camp 
meeting,  shake  a  wicked  foot  at  a 
rural  dance,  or  shuffle  successfully  in 
a  game  of  poker.  For  all  this  they 
were  reputed  to  be  generous  and  kind- 
hearted,  in  a  way — provided  always,  it 
was  their  way. 

One  day  after  a  heated  discussion 
at  Offutt's  store,  a  bet  was  arranged 
between  Offutt  and  Jack  Armstrong, 
that  Lincoln  could  throw  Armstrong 
in  a  wrestling  bout.  Lincoln  was  not 
enthusiastic  over  this  sort  of  notoriety, 
but  reluctantly  consented  to  please  his 
friend  Offutt.  It  was  understood  that 
the  contest  was  to  be  a  friendly  one, 
and  fairly  conducted.  The  sequel 
proved  that  this  part  of  the  agree- 
ment was  given  little  consideration,  on 
the  part  of  the  Clarey's  Grove  boys. 
The  result  was  that  Lincoln  became 
exasperated,  on  account  of  some  unfair 
tactics,  and  lifting  his  antagonist  from 
the  ground,  he  shook  him  lustly,  until 
he  cried  enough. 

From  this  time  on,  Jack  Armstrong, 
and  his  wife,  Hannah  Armstrong,  and 
all   the  little  Armstrongs,   were   fast 


friends  and  enthusiastic  admirers  of 
Abraham  Lincoln.  They  were  loyal 
champions  and  staunch  supporters  of 
their  hero,  in  his  first  political  cam- 
paign which  occured  the  following 
year.  Lincoln  was  a  candidate  for 
representative  in  the  state  legislature 
from  Sangamon  County  on  the  Whig 
ticket.  He  was  defeated  in  this,  his 
first  political  contest,  but  it  was  the 
only  time  in  his  entire  career  that  he 
was  ever  beaten  by  the  people,  at  the 
polls.  Two  years  later,  he  was  again 
a  candidate  for  the  same  position,  and 
was  elected.  He  was  reelected  for  the 
next  two  successive  terms,  for  the 
same  position. 

A  quarter  of  a  century  after  this, 
Lincoln  had  an  opportunity  to  repay 
the  Armstrongs,  for  the  many  acts  of 
kindness  and  assistance  they  had  ren- 
dered him  at  this  period  of  his  career. 

The  Sum  and  Substance  of 
My  Story 

TN  August,  1857,  a  religious  camp- 
meeting  was  in  progress  in  Mason 
County — adjoining  Sangamon.  Such 
meetings  were  not  uncommon  in  those 
days.    They  brought  together,  not  only 


the  religiously  inclined  people,  from  a 
considerable  area,  but  were  also  occa- 
sions for  the  assemblage  of  the  more 
less  lawless  elements  of  the  neighbor- 
hood. 

These  disreputable  characters 
amused  themselves  on  the  outskirts  of 
the  camp-grounds,  by  gambling  and 
fighting.  Duff  Armstrong,  a  son  of 
Jack — Lincoln's  old  friend  and  wrest- 
ling antagonist — who  inherited  most 
of  the  undesirable  traits  of  his  father, 
and  a  small  perfectage  of  the  laudable 
ones,  was  present  one  night  at  the 
meeting.  He  was  desirous  of  restoring 
the  questionable  glories  of  Clarey's 
Grove,  and  on  this  particular  occasion, 
unfortunately  for  him,  an  opportunity 
was  offered.  A  man  by  the  name  of 
Metzker — a  quarrelsome  character  of 
the  neighborhood  was  present,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  a  general  fight 
over  some  trivial  matter  ensued.  Duff 
Armstrong  participated  in  this  alter- 
cation as  one  of  the  principals.  During 
the  fight  Metzker  received  injuries 
from  which  he  died  three  days  later. 
Armstrong  and  one  of  his  companions 


were  immediately  arrested  and  in  due 
time  were  indicted  on  the  charge  of 
murder. 

It  is  not  essential  to  the  thread 
of  this  narrative,  to  follow  the  case  of 
Armstrong  through  its  devious  ramifi- 
cations, in  the  courts,  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  year  following. 
The  case  of  his  partner  in  crime  being 
disposed  of  in  another  county.  Arm- 
strong came  up  for  trial,  on  a  change 
of  venue  to  Cass  County,  on  the  7th  of 
May,  1858,  in  the  Circuit  Court  at  the 
city  of  Beardstown. 

During  the  time  Armstrong  was  in 
Prison  pending  his  trial,  his  father, 
Jack  Armstrong,  passed  away.  This 
left  the  burden  of  defense  of  their 
wayward  son,  on  his  widow — Hannah 
Armstrong,  who  was  then  quite  ad- 
vanced in  years,  and  in  none  too  good 
condition  financially.  In  fact  it  be- 
came necessary  for  her  to  dispose  of 
her  small  farm  of  forty  acres  in  order 
to  obtain  the  necessary  funds  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  defense. 

In  her  dire  extremity  she  bethought 
herself  of  her  old  friend,  "Abe"  Lin- 
coln,   as   they   always   called   him   in 


bygone  days.  She  was  somewhat  loth 
to  appeal  to  so  important  a  personal, 
but  her  necessity  knew  no  bounds. 
The  appeal  was  made,  and  the  sequel 
proves  that  it  was  not  made  in  vain. 

Hannah  Armstrong  Enlists 
Lincoln's  Aid 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  then  a 

lawyer,  of  more  than  ordinary 
prominence,  at  Springfield.  He  was 
"Hon."  Abraham  L  i  n  c  o  1  n — i  f  y  o  u 
please — having  served  one  term  in  the 
congress  of  the  United  States,  and 
three  successive  terms  as  representa- 
tive from  Sangamon  County  in  the 
State  Legislature. 

At  that  time  he  was  regarded  as 
the  logical  candidate  for  United  States 
senator,  the  contest  for  which  was  to 
occur  the  following  year.  In  addition 
to  this,  he  was  freguently  mentioned 
as  a  prospective  candidate  for  the 
Presidency  of  the  United  States  in 
1860. 

He  was  already  a  great  man,  but 
he  was  not  too  great  to  give  ear  to  the 
pathetic  appeal  of  his  old  friend  and 
helper,   Hannah  Armstrong.     Here  is 


his  reply  to  that  appeal.     It  is  a  ver- 
batim copy  of  the  original: 

Springfield,  September,  18,  1857 
My  dear  Mrs.  Armstrong:  I  have 
heard  of  your  deep  affliction,  and 
the  arrest  of  your  son  for  murder. 
I  can  hardly  believe  that  he  can  be 
guilty  of  the  crime  alleged  against 
him.  It  does  not  seem  possible.  I 
am  anxious  that  he  should  have  a 
fair  trial,  at  any  rate;  and  gratitude 
for  your  long  continued  kindness 
to  me  in  adverse  circumstances, 
prompts  me  to  offer  my  humble 
services,  gratuitously,  in  his  behalf. 
It  will  afford  me  an  opportunity  to 
requite,  in  a  small  degree,  the  favors 
I  received  at  your  hands,  and  that 
of  your  lamented  husband,  when 
your  roof  afforded  me  grateful  shel- 
ter, without  money  and  without 
price. 

Yours  truly, 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

Public  opinion  at  the  time  of  the 
trial,  rather  leaned  to  the  belief  that 
Armstrong  was  really  the  murderer  of 
Metzker — that  it  was  he  who  struck 
the  fatal  blow  that  resulted  in  death. 


There  is  no  reason  to  believe  that  Lin- 
coln shared  in  this  conviction.  In  his 
letter  to  Hannah  Armstrong  he  states, 
explicitly:  "I  can  hardly  believe  he 
can  be  guilty  of  the  crime  alleged 
against  him."  Be  that  as  it  may,  the 
several  witnesses  for  the  defense, 
were  undoubtedly  unreliable,  and  of 
unsavory  reputation,  and  not  calcu- 
lated to  impress  the  jury  favorably. 
Lincoln  seems  to  have  realized  this. 
He  apparently  felt  that  their  testi- 
mony would  be  more  of  a  disadvantage 
to  his  case  than  otherwise,  and  they 
were  given  scant  consideration.  When 
the  testimony  was  all  in,  it  seemed  a 
foregone  conclusion  on  the  part  of 
everybody — with  the  exception  of  Lin- 
coln— that  the  verdict  would  be  for 
the  prosecution. 

The  state  seemed  so  sure  of  secur- 
ing a  verdict  of  guilty,  that  it  intro- 
duced but  a  single  witness.  This  wit- 
ness— Allen  by  name- — swore  positive- 
ly that  he  saw  Armstrong  strike  the 
fatal  blow,  with  a  "sling-shot" — a  com- 
mon weapon  of  offense  and  defense, 
much  in  use  those  days. 


Lincoln  listened  intently  to  the 
testimony  of  the  witness.  He  weighed 
every  word  of  it — separately  and  col- 
lectively— and  the  sequel  proves  that 
he  weighed  it  correctly.  His  wonderful 
intuition  convinced  him  that  Allen 
was  testifying  falsely  and  as  is  usually 
the  case  with  such  witnesses — reck- 
lessly. He  was  not  slow  to  turn  this 
to  the  advantage  of  his  client.  In  his 
cross-examination  of  the  witness,  he 
led  him  along  pleasantly,  but  most 
adroitly.  When  the  witness  faltered 
for  the  proper  words,  the  shrewd  law- 
yer was  alert  to  supply  them  in  the 
most  affable  manner.  In  this  way  he 
succeeded  in  bringing  out  the  minutest 
details  as  to  just  what  the  witness 
claimed  to  have  seen.  The  exact  hour 
— to  the  very  minute — at  which  the 
fatal  blow  was  struck,  was  duly  re- 
corded. 

The  witness  was  asked  to  tell  the 
jury  how  it  was  possible  for  him  to 
see  so  accurately  at  this  hour  of  the 
night.  He  faltered  a  little,  but  finally 
stated:  "By  the  light  of  the  moon". 
Then  the  great  lawyer  lead  the  unsus- 
pecting witness  along,  in  his  most 
seductive    manner,    finally   prompting 


him  to  assert  positively,  thajt  the  moon 
was  full  at  that  hour  of  the  night,  and 
that  its  position  in  the  heavens  was 
about  where  the  sun  would  be  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  daytime. 

Lincoln  iterated  and  re-iterated 
these  questions  until  the  witness,  the 
court,  and  the  jury  were  alike  worn 
out  with  the  proceedings.  Then  the 
defense  rested  its  case,  and  the  court 
took  a  recess  until  the  afternoon,  when 
the  arguments  were  to  begin. 

The  Appeal  on  Behalf  of 
Duff  Armstrong 

LINCOLN'S  appeal  on  behalf  of  his 
client  was  a  masterful  one,  said  to 
be  the  greatest  effort  of  his  legal 
career.  The  impression  it  made  on  the 
mind  of  one  who  was  present  at  the 
trial,  is  here  presented  in  his  own 
language: 

"The  day  was  warm  and  sultry,  and 
as  he  rose  to  make  his  closing  argu- 
ment, he  removed  his  coat  and  vest, 
and  later,  his  stock.  His  suspenders 
were  home-made  knitted  ones,  and  as 
he  warmed  up  to  his  argument,  one  of 
them   slipped  from   his  shoulder  and 


fell  to  his  side,  where  it  remained 
until  he  had  finished  speaking.  All 
this  was  overlooked  under  the  spell  of 
his  fiery  eloquence  and  masterly  argu- 
ment, his  tender  and  pathetic  pleading 
for  the  life  of  the  son  of  his  old  bene- 
factress/' 

Lincoln  made  bold  to  assert  that  the 
witness,  Allen,  had  testified  falsely. 
He  denounced  him  as  a  liar  and  per- 
jurer, and  declared  to  the  jury  that 
his  testimony  was  unworthy  of  consid- 
eration. In  proof  of  which —  at  the 
phschological  moment — he  took  from 
the  pocket  of  his  coat,  which  he  had 
carelessly  thrown  over  the  back  of  a 
chair  —  quietly  and  deliberately  —  an 
almanac  for  the  year  1857,  which  he 
had  obtained  from  a  nearby  drug  store. 
He  turned  over  the  leaves,  until  he 
came  to  the  month  of  August,  and 
then  passing  it  to  the  jury  he  demon- 
strated to  them  the  truth  of  his 
assertion,  that  Allen  was  unworthy  of 
belief.  The  almanac  furnished  un- 
questionable evidence  of  this,  for  it 
showed,  that  on  the  night  of  the  mur- 
der, the  moon  was  not  at  the  full,  and 
that  it  could  not  possibly  have  been 
at  the  point  in  the  heavens,  at  the 


time  the  murder  was  committed  as  the 
witness  had  positively  stated. 

The  case  went  to  the  jury,  and  a 
verdict  of  not  guilty  was  rendered 
in  less  than  an  hour.  And  thus,  the 
case  of  the  People  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  vs.  Duff  Armstrong,  came  to  a 
sudden   and   unexpected   termination. 

After  the  verdict  had  been  an- 
nounced, the  great  council  for  the  de- 
fense led  Duff  to  his  weeping  and  over- 
joyed mother.  Holding  him  by  both 
hands,  and  looking  him  squarely  in 
the  eyes,  Lincoln  admonished  him  to 
make  a  man  of  himself,  that  he  might 
be  a  comfort  to  his  mother  in  her  de- 
clining years.  This  he  promised  to  do. 
He  kept  his  promise  faithfully,  and 
ultimately  became  an  upright  and 
honorable  citizen. 

Duff  Armstrong  enlisted  in  the  un- 
ion army  in  1862.  During  his  service 
he  contracted  a  serious  illness,  on  ac- 
count of  which  he  was  sent  to  an  army 
hospital  at  some  point  in  the  east.  His 
mother  appealed  to  Lincoln,  asking 
that  he  be  sent  home,  and  her  appeal 
was  promptly  complied  with.  His 
mother  patiently  and  lovingly  nursed 


him   back   to   health.     He  became   an 
honorable  and  useful  citizen. 

The  old  Cass  County  Court  House 
still  stands,  just  as  it  was  when  this 
celebrated  case  was  tried  within  its 
walls.  At  the  present  time  it  is  used 
as  the  city  hall  of  Beardstown,  Illinois. 

On  February  12,  1909,  the  Women's 
Club  of  Beardstown,  held  a  public 
meeting  in  the  old  court  room,  in  com- 
memoration of  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Abraham 
Lincoln.  On  this  occasion  a  bronze 
tablet  was  unveiled,  bearing  this 
inscription: 

The  Beardstown  Women's  Club 
erected  this  tablet  February  12,  1909, 
in  memory  of  Abraham  Lincoln,  who 
for  a  Mother  in  distress,  cleared  her 
son,  Duff  Armstrong,  of  the  charge  of 
murder,  in  this  hall  of  justice. 


Jffints 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 

973.7L63B6W38L  C001 

LAWYER  LINCOLN.  DAVENPORT 


12  03 


